Hickman or Port-A-Cath? Who's had or have one?

I have a port-a-cath; I've had it since late April, although I didn't start IV Rocephin until mid-June. I did Rocephin for 7 weeks but Blue Cross refused to pay a dime so I paid out of my own pocket. Then I had a glitch in my disability payments and had to stop the treatment.

Bottom line is that I haven't had any trouble with the port-a-cath. If I don't have a Huber needle in I can take a shower just like normal....if I do have a needle in I cover things up with plastic and shower anyway. So far so good!

As long as it's in there it has to be accessed and flushed once a month though....I did the last access/flush myself, although you can go to an ER.

I've had a PICC line for over 2 years, without any problems with it. The line itself has been replaced every 6 months, but always have been able to use the same site for the new line. I'm seriously considering getting a Port once I no longer need the PICC for daily use, because blood draws are very difficult without the PICC for me.

razzle, wow I'm impressed you've been able to have PICC lines that long! What IV meds are working for you? I will be starting with Rocephin. This is bitter-sweet for me because I wanted to start IV meds last summer. My doc thought I was progressing with orals. I felt I was plateaued and started all herbals around last christmas and never wanted to go back to abx. Now, I'm feeling desperate again and willing to try the big guns.

Nasalady, do you work at Moffet Field? I was in the Civil Air Patrol, if you've heard of that, and done some training and airshows there. Anyway, so glad to hear your pushing the system, but sorry to hear about denials! Medical Insurance is such a scam. They have nothing to do with helping people. I've used a lawyer at Boxer's husbands law firm in Oakland. They do a lot of good stuff there. I'm glad your still getting SDI though, it pays more than SSI. I got approved the first time I filed. A true miracle. I'm an RN which helped to know what good medical terminology to use on the forms. How long did your blue cross pay for IV med?

Thanks and may IV meds never be needed to treat Lyme again
Lisa

Lisa

It is all about meticulous line & site care...if I'd stuck with what the nurses in the hospital and from the home infusion co. (their brief training session with me one evening) did, I'd have surely had at least 1 line infection (sloppy line access protocols)...but I followed the advice of some folks on a support group for TPN, and that I believe has been what has kept the line/site problems away.

I was on Cipro early 2009 and then in March, I got a plural effusion w/ pneumonia and was put on Ceftazidime instead.  Was on that until the begining of 2010 (plateau reached in late Fall 2009), then was switched to Doxy, but my (small/lg intestines) decided to stop working by May, so was put back on Cipro.  The Cipro stopped working last month (stomach stopped working, Lyme symptoms that had disappeared or decreased significantly slowly started coming back while on the Cipro so I stopped taking it), so was just put on Ceftazidime again this week. 

I chose not to take the risk of running TPN and Rocephin at the same time, despite the FDA's assurances that this combination is only unsafe in newborns...my body has a nack for finding the most obscure side-effect and magnify it, so to me the risk was too great.  Maybe after I'm off the TPN I can try the Rocephin, but don't know when that'll be...was supposed to have been off by now but with my gut acting up twice this year, the TPN weaning schedule has slipped quite a bit.

Take care,

Hi Lisa,

Most of our friends have told us they prefer their "ports".

Best wishes, bablymers mom